The Greatest American Hero The Next Generation
by hall442
Summary: Present day: Ralph's dead 15 years. Pam is now a Judge. Bill Maxwell is retired, operating a PI Agency, part time. Tony Villacana is now an FBI Agent. Kevin Hinckley's turn to wear the Red Jammies.
1. Chapter 1

**Greatest American Hero – The Next Generation**

Main Characters: Kevin Hinckley, 32 years old. High School Science Teacher, at the same place his father was.

Pamela Davidson Hinckley - 51 years old. Circuit Judge.

Bill Maxwell – 76 years old. Retired. Consultant to FBI. Head of GreenGuy Private Investigations.

Tony Villacana – 40 years old. FBI Agent. Close friend of Mentor, Bill Maxwell.

Ralph Hinckley – Deceased. Would be 55. Died 15 years ago, so appears 40ish.

Green Guys - ?

Synopsis: Kevin Hinckley inherits the Red Jammies, and his father's job, moonlighting as a superhero.

Note: I don't own any of these characters. Other people make money from them. I just write this stuff for FUN, and to show Hollywood how the movie SHOULD be done... WITHOUT ADAM SANDLER.

Chapter One –

"Alyeesha, SIT down. Buckle your seatbelt. I'm not going to ask you again."

"Yeah, Mr. H." the junior year science club member sat grumpily down and fussed with her seatbelt, but didn't buckle it. Behind her, a boy wearing thick glasses, grinned, showing his teeth, which were mostly obscured by the massive braces he wore.

"We're almost there. Relax." He said., still smiling.

"How do you know, Ja-FOOL?" she sneered.

Still smiling, he held up a portable GPS Unit. Alyeesha turned back around and grumbled unintelligibly to herself.

Kevin Hinckley sighed and tried to divide his attention between the road, and the group of rambunctious Science Club Members he had in the back of the van. The were regular kids; considered geeks and nerds by their peers. But, they were a handful, in their on way.

It was easy enough to get the trip approved, out to the desert, for a field study of drought conditions and their effects on the local flora and fauna. Kevin was a tenured faculty member. And his father had been assistant principal, years ago, before the accident. No one ever gave him much grief at work. He kept his nose clean and his head down. Best way to avoid trouble. And Kevin ALWAYS avoided trouble, if he possibly could.

"Hey, Mr. H! There's a stand up ahead. Can we stop and get a soda?" Emilio asked, from his spot in the last row.

Kevin looked dubiously, at the upcoming roadside stand, and slowed the van.

"Alright. But, if it's not refrigerated, DON'T buy it. This place doesn't look very promising." The van swung into the dirt lot, and came to a stop. The teacher barely had the door open, before his charges were out the door and swarming the place. 10, 15-17 year olds. He shook his head. He remembered those years himself. Of course, with his father being just gone, they had not been very good ones. His birth mother had immediately sued for custody, and his step mother Pam gave him the choice, to go or stay. He chose to stay with her. It had been rough, going through those years, missing his Dad. Uncle Bill did his best. As a result of their efforts, he had grown up NOT having ended up in jail, or being shot, or joining a gang. He had been a latter day Boy Scout, in a time and place, where such were no longer valued.

He got out of the school vehicle, and stretched. Walking slowly, he approached the outdoor flea-market type setup and looked around. Yep. Just as he had thought; junk.

"This is cool. But it won't open. What good is a book that you can't read?" Emilio asked, holding up a small black book. Kevin gazed across the table at his student, with a look of mild annoyance.

"What about that soda?"

"Oh! Yeah. Right." the gangly boy dropped the book and headed for the small main building. Idly, Kevin wandered over and picked up the book. It was black. No writing on the spine. On the cover……….. he frowned. An insignia. He KNEW that thing.

Upon closer examination, he could find no reason why Emilio had not been able to open the book. It opened readily enough for him. But, it was written in a language he did not understand. Not even the symbols. It might have been Sanskrit for all he knew. Slowly, Kevin turned and walked into the main building. An old, OLD man, wearing a ratty New Jersey Devil cap, stood behind a counter, trying to look at too many kids all at once. He spared a glance to the school teacher and nodded curtly.

"Yours?"

"Yeah."

"They thieves?"

"No. Worse. Science Geeks."

"AH! Alrighty then." The man finally smiles and relaxes slightly.

Kevin raised the book, so the man can see it.

"How much for this?"

"Eh……. $10?"

"Give you a buck."

"Sold to the cheapskate in the sport jacket that belonged to his father." A bell rings one ding, as the old man hits the "Sold" button on his cash register, opening it, to accept Kevin's proffered dollar bill.

"Hey, I'll have you know my Dad had very GOOD taste in sport coats." He sniffed, pocketing the book. He turns to the kids milling about in the little store.

"Final purchases people! We have to be going! Get your butts out to the van!"

Tired. Bleary eyed. The high school teacher dropped the last of his charges off at their homes, and took the van back to school. The trip home would be a short one. But he wanted to stop first at his step mom's. The strange book still was in his jacket pocket. He wanted to show it to Pam, and see if she remembered what the strange insignia might be. It was nagging at his brain. He KNEW he knew what it was.

The old station wagon chugged its way along. It wasn't more than 10 minutes later, he pulled up in front of his old home. He groaned. She wasn't home from work yet. Tiredly, he got out of the car and walked up to the door. His key still fit the door after so many years. He'd have to talk to her about that. A switch every once in a while was purely a move for safety.

The door swung open, and he stepped into his old home. Carelessly, he flipped on the light, and walked in. Things had changed a lot inside. Pam did keep things up well, even though she was alone. She never remarried after his father passed on. Lord only knew why. She was still an extremely attractive woman. It was not for lack of guys trying. But she seemed to have no interest in anything other than Kevin, her work and her friends; Mainly Uncle Bill and Tony.

The stairs seemed steeper than he remembered them. Of course, he was dog tired from driving and wandering around in the desert all day. That could have been a mitigating factor in his perception. He passed his old room, and headed to his Dad's study. This area had not changed. Not a single thing. It was as his father left it, fifteen years before.

Curiously, Kevin searched along the bookshelves, looking for something that related to his strange book. Nothing. Then, he noticed the soft chiming noise, coming from his coat pocket. He realized it was coming from the pocket he dropped the book into. Gently, he eased it out, to see that as WELL as chiming gently, there was a soft, glowing pulse of light coming from the volume in his hand. It seemed to vary in intensity. He moved slightly left; softer. He moved right; stronger. Then he realized; it was homing in on something!

Kevin followed the pulses of the book, back out of the study, down the hallway. The glow and chimes grew stronger, as he drew closer to his parent's bedroom. Uncomfortably, he opened the door and looked around. The chiming insisted he proceed. It lead him to Pam's closet.

"Oh come on. I don't want to look at my Mom's unmentionables! Gimme a break…" he said to the book. It continued chiming almost stridently. "sigh Okay. Okay." He slide open the closet door, to be greeted by a matching chime, and glow. Curiously, he looked up, to see a pulsing light coming from beneath a pile of blankets. He reached in and rummaged a bit, coming out with a suitcase sized, glowing case. He turned and placed it on the bed. It had an insignia on the lid, which match the book in his hand. Both items were now mysteriously silent. Cautiously, he poked at the strange box. A soft hum filled the room, and the lid raised up on its own to reveal it's contents. Cloth. With that same strange insignia, on the chest. NOW he remembered…….

He had been not more than seven or eight years old. He had caught a glimpse of his father, frantically struggling into the suit, after a mysterious phone conversation with Uncle Bill. Kevin had been peeping into the bedroom room. Ralph had caught him, looking embarrassed.

"Hi Kev! Just dressing up for a costume party." His father smiled, in a strained fashion, still struggling with the suit. Kevin entered and began helping him, buckling on the belt, and zipping the boots.

"There ya go!" he said proudly, looking at his father, "But if you're doing Superman, the color's wrong and you got no S on your chest!"

Ralph laughed and smiled fondly at his son. "Thanks, Kev. Hit the sack. Pam will be here to watch out for you til I get back."

"She's not invited to the party?" the youngster had asked, curiously.

"Ah, no. No, this is just Bill and I." his father smiled nervously, "Go on to bed. I'll check in on you when I get back. Love you Kev."

"Love you Dad. Have a good flight." He grinned and marched back to his room.

"God knows I wish I could." Ralph murmured through smiling lips.

That hadn't been the last time he'd seen his father in that strange outfit. In fact, now that he was rummaging through his memories, he realized his father had worn the strange costume on a LOT of occasions. Sometimes under his regular clothes. Kevin gently pickup up the suit and pulled it from the box. On impulse, he laid it out on Pam's bed, and began removing his own clothes. The red outfit cleaved to his body, like it had been custom tailored. Of course, Pam often commented on how alike in build, he and his father had been. Ralph's hair had been a curly mane of yellow. Kevin's was straight and dark brown. A bit longer than fashion dictated, but, he'd never stood much on fashion; hence wearing his Dad's old sport coats to work.

He looked at himself in the full length mirror against the wall, chuckling. Then he plopped down on Pam's bed and picked up the book. It seemed to fly open of it's own accord, in his hands. Low and behold, the text inside was now legible! He scanned through it, and began to laugh. An instruction manual. For the very suit he was wearing. His chuckles died down as he read more. The suit was designed to be capable of some VERY incredible things. Ridiculous things. Impossible things.

"Yeah. Right." The young man laughed again. Still, he rose from the bed and went to the dresser. Gently, he picked up Pam's hairbrush and concentrated. He almost dropped it, when a crystal clear picture appeared before his eyes, of his step mother, leaving the courthouse downtown. As she walked through the parking garage, to her car, a van door opened nearby and three thugs piled out. Before she had a chance to scream, she was grabbed, gagged and bundled into the van, which took off at high speed.

Kevin shook his head, clearing the vision from it. He looked at the brush in his right hand. He looked at the book, still clutched in his left hand, open to a page which explained Remote Viewing. Dropping the brush, he flipped to the index. What else exactly could this thing do?

Moments later, Kevin rushed out the back door of the house, took three steps and leapt into the air. To his credit, he didn't scream, when he actually shot up into the sky like a rocket. His shock was still great. But the thought of his mother in the hands of kidnappers, kept him focused on the task at hand. He concentrated, bringing back the image of the van, which was now speeding down a highway, headed out of town. The suit responded unbidden, turning him gently in the direction he needed to go. His flight was straight, true and sure. He'd been an avid hang glider and gyro pilot since he was twenty years old. Uncle Bill had insisted, for some odd reason. Now, he knew why. Obviously, the old agent KNEW about the suit. And his step mom probably did too. Concentrating, Kevin put on a burst of speed, streaking through the night like a red missile. Moments later, the van was in sight.

Cautiously, he descended, til he was flying directly behind the speeding van. Luckily, there was no one on the road at the moment. Grimly, he grabbed the rear door handles and slammed his feet into the pavement. He adjusted his grip to include the bumper, and gritted his teeth at the jolting and jarring that occurred as the van ground to a VERY sudden halt. The doors bailed open, and the kidnappers poured out, four men with automatic rifles. Without a word, they sprayed him with bullets. His heart stood still for a moment, as the barrage hit him from all sides at once. They bounced off of him, like rain from a duck's back. A few seconds later, they ran out of bullets and stopped firing. Disbelief showed on their faces. Kevin smiled, almost genially.

"My turn." He ripped a rear door off the van, and began swinging. It was over as soon as it started. Four unconscious men, bleeding from broken noses, busted lips, and torn scalps. He felt no sympathy. Kevin dropped the door and turned to the van. Pam was just inside, struggling mightily against the ropes that bound her. Gently, he picked his step mother up and set her upright. He removed the gag first, for her to scream

"RALPH!"

He broke her bonds and she removed the blindfold herself. Judge Pamela Davidson Hinckley looked her stepson in the eyes, and passed out. Kevin caught he and laid her momentarily back in the van. He quickly searched the men, collected their wallets, destroyed their weapons, and finally found a cell phone. He dialed 911.

"YES. There's been an accident out on highway 66, at the 236 mile marker? Send the police." Calmly, the young man hung up, then dialed another number.

"Uncle Bill! Hey it's Kevin. Fine, just fine. Listen, I need you to meet me over at Mom's place as soon as you can get there. Yeah. Oh sure, bring Tony if he's there. I'm he can help with this one too. I'll see ya in a bit. Be careful." he closed the phone and wiped his prints from it. Then he wiped the door and the bumper. He gathered up the rope that had bound Pam, and the blindfold. Pam herself was next. Checking to make sure she was still breathing okay, Kevin leapt into the sky and headed for home. An interesting evening, was going to become even MORE interesting, shortly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 -

Kevin scooted in the back door of the house, cradling his stepmother effortlessly in his arms. It felt as if she were weightless, thanks to the power of the strange red suit. He darted through the first floor, into the living room, and gently laid Pam on the couch. Then he zipped upstairs at super speed and put his own clothes on, over the red ones. He zipped back downstairs and made sure the house was in order. On his way through the kitchen, he drew a glass of water and brought it into the living room, when he sat on the loveseat near the unconscious woman, and waiting, heart pounding for his Uncle Bill and Tony Villacana to arrive. As of yet, he was totally unsure of what to say had happened. Obviously, he could not buffalo the woman. She already knew. It remained to be seen, what Bill and Tony's reaction would be. He didn't have to wait long for it.

The rumble of the Piranha was audible long before the long, black 1959 Coupe Deville convertible rolled into the driveway. It had been Tony's first and only car. Also, his only real love, besides the FBI. It was a gas hog, a rolling anachronism, and fit the duo perfectly. Even if retired agent Bill Maxwell cringed every time they got into it.

Kevin went to the door, making sure to use a normal pace. He opened it, just as Bill was about to knock.

"Hey Kiddo! What's shakin?" the older man smiled, punching him in the shoulder affectionately, as he entered the house. Tony came in behind, and offered a hand, in a more reserved fashion.

"Kev. What's happinin?"

"Mom was kidnapped tonight." The younger man said quietly, leading them into the living room.

Tony grabbed for his cell phone immediately.

"No need. I took care of it already." He pointed to the still unconscious woman on the couch.

"You took CARE of it?" Tony barked, "HOW?"

Sheepishly, Kevin undid a few buttons on his shirt, to reveal the red garment underneath. The color drained from Bills face, and he sat down abruptly on the loveseat.

"The Jammies. The red jimmies WORK for you!" the old man whispered.

"Red jimmies? What the hell are you talking about old man? You goin senile on me?"

Maxwell waved the younger agent into silence.

"I used to see Dad wearing this crazy outfit. He always told me he was headed to a costume ball with YOU." Kevin said accusingly.

Maxwell chuckled.

"Yeah. Your Daddy never was much for covert operations. He couldn't lie worth a damn. Especially to the Counselor or you."

The young teacher smiled sadly.

"You guys were playing Super-Hero."

Bill hesitated only for a second, before nodding affirmation.

"For 10 years. Your father was the reason my solved case ratio was the highest in the Bureau. I'd bring the files to Ralph, and he and I would chase down the bad guys. He lost the manual to the suit; right after the green guys gave it to him…." Bill's eyes widened, as Kevin pulled the long lost manual from his coat pocket and handed it to him.

"Holy Guacamole. You got it too."

Tony had lapsed back onto the couch and was observing the conversation critically, between the two men.

"So, yer sayin those red pjs are a super suit of some sort? Given to Mr. Hinckley by aliens?"

"Yeah. On that one field trip out into the desert you imbeciles went on your junior year. That's the night I met Ralph, and he got the suit." Bill nodded tiredly.

"And he and you became like, Super agents for the Bureau?"

"no no no. If I had TOLD anyone at the Bureau, how long do you think they would have let Ralphie-boy keep the suit? It would have been taken and they would have tried to dissect it to find out how it worked and make an army of red suited super-agents." The white haired man growled. "Not that the green guys would have let that happen. I think they said the suit would have disintegrated without Ralph's wearing it. But then, how'd it last in the box all these years?"

"It was waiting for Kevin." Pam said, sitting up on the couch. The men turned and looked at her

"Mom…" her stepson started.

"No, Kevin. It's the truth. It's the only thing that makes sense. The suit was created for Ralph. You are his son. You share his DNA. Obviously, the suit thinks you're close enough to him, to be a substitute." She took the glass of water from the end table and sipped it.

"What happened at the courthouse, Judge?" Tony asked, leaning forward.

She shrugged.

"I was grabbed, bound, gagged and blindfolded and thrown in the back of a van. The next thing I know, I think my husband has returned from the dead to save me."

Kevin smiled sadly.

"I wish it had been too, Mom. I do. But at least the suit allowed me to save you. And I think it might mean for me to do more." He looked meaningfully at Tony.

The younger agent let out a barking laugh and stood.

"Okay peoples. You're all hallucinating. There's no such thing as a super-hero, or a suit that gives you super powers."

Kevin rose and walked to the front door.

"Let me show you something, Tony." He walked outside. The other rose and followed.

They gathered around the Piranha. Calmly, Kevin reached down and took a hold of the front bumper. Effortlessly, he lifted the front of the classic car off the ground. Tony's jaw dropped. He slid in beneath it, and hefted the whole car above his head, standing silently in the driveway.

"Just so you know, this morning, I was nowhere NEAR this strong, Tony." He said calmly. Gently, he hefted the car slightly up and down, as if weight lifting.

The stricken agent plopped backwards into the grass, starting at his car, hovering in the air.

"Kid, ya better put it down now. I think the delinquent's had enough of a shock for one day." Bill chuckled.

Gently, the teacher lowered the car back down, and stood beside it. Pam helped a still shell-shocked Tony to his feet.

"I don't think it's good that you do this, Kevin." She said quietly. "That thing killed your father."

"NO, Counselor. I killed Ralph. As sure as you're standing there, you KNOW it was my fault." Bill said forcefully.

"Bill," she began,

"IF it had not been for my call, he wouldn't have come to help me. He wouldn't have stepped in front of a bullet for ME, forgetting he didn't have the suit even ON underneath his clothes. If I HADN'T driven him out into the desert and screamed for the green guys to save him again, they wouldn't have TAKEN him." The old man said bitterly.

The woman moved in without hesitation and put her arms around him.

"I do NOT blame YOU."

"Me neither Uncle Bill. Never have." Kevin said quietly.

"Yeah Kid. But you never KNEW how your Daddy died. Stupid stupid stupid. I should have MADE sure he had the jammies on."

"HE should have made sure himself. It was NOT your responsibility." Pam responded.

"We were each other's responsibilities. That's the way it worked. We looked out for each other's failings. What I didn't do, Ralph did, and visa versa. He hated wearing the suit under his civvies. Hell, he didn't really like wearin it, period. But, the green guys gave it to HIM, cause they KNEW that ME in a super suit would result in dead bodies."

"Like right after Dad died….." Kevin whispered.

Bill slumped and walked back into the house.

"The Szarzo Gang Massacre." Tony murmured. "27 guys beaten savagely to death. No knives or guns used. Except for what they used trying to defend themselves from whatever killed them. The cops said it looked like Superman went berserk. Guys thrown through brick walls, through ceilings onto the 4th floor of the warehouse they were doping out of. The found some of the bodies 6 blocks away, looking like they'd gone parachuting. With no chutes. It's never been solved."

Pam was silent.

"They shot your father. When Bill came back from the desert. He asked for the suit. I was so hysterical, I didn't even think anything of what he would want it for."

They walked back inside, to find Bill standing at the bar, against the far wall. He had poured himself a scotch. His hands were shaking.

"Old Man," Tony began.

"I've had nightmares for years." The retired agent whispered. "They deserved it. But, I never knew. I never KNEW how much restraint Ralph had when he wore the suit. That's why they picked him, and not me." He paused and took a long sip from his glass.

"They took him. I sat there in the desert for a long time. I thought they'd bring him right back. When they didn't, I finally came home. Came straight here and got the suit. I left the good counselor with her tears. Not one for consoling women. She knows. Lord, she knows. I knew were the Szarzo's were. Always had. I begged silently all the way to their hideout. BEGGED the green guys to hear me, and for the suit to work just ONCE for me. It felt like I was prayin. Praying for a vengeance I knew I'd never get from my own god. I put the suit on. And bashed right through the steel reinforced door into their drug lab. I killed em. Every last one. With my bare hands. THAT'S why they gave Ralph the suit. He had self control. I have none. And, what's worse," he looked up finally, staring straight into the eyes of his protégé, "I don't gave a damn, either.


End file.
